The time-honored way of showing love in an Italian family is to offer food. Whether we're celebrating, mourning, happy, sad--if we're breathing, there's a table filled with great things to eat. Life's too short, so eat what you love and love what you eat.

**I would pack the meat more next time since the meatloaf did not hold together well when sliced
***************************************************TASTE NOTES
The meatloaf and gravy had excellent flavor, though as noted it was crumbly and slices didn't hold their shape well. We enjoyed leftovers without the gravy on toasted rolls with a slice of cheese. I will definitely make this again. I am not a big fan of gravies and sauces, but this one was delicious over a half cup of mashed potatoes.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Friday, May 25, 2012

I used to think "brown" or "beige" food didn't belong on my blog, but I've since realized that while it may not be photogenic, if it tastes wonderful, it belongs. This side dish was simple to put together and with a little tweaking (like adding some ooey, gooey cheese) could have served as a main course.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 7 X 11 inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion,, garlic, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in bread crumbs, parsley, and thyme. Meanwhile, bring medium saucepan of water to boil. Add cauliflower and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain. Place artichokes and cauliflower in prepared baking dish. Top with onion mixture; sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake until hot and topping is lightly browned, about 30 minutes.
***********************************TASTE NOTES
I really loved the combination of cauliflower and artichokes and the onion and bread crumb topping created both a wonderful texture as well as a sweet note. I ate the leftovers just warmed through (instead of hot) and liked it even more. Next time, I am going to try adding some shredded fontina and running it under the broiler to brown.

Remove pot from heat and stir in macaroni. Spoon into prepared dish(es). Sprinkle bread crumbs evenly over macaroni mixture and coat with nonstick spray. Bake until casserole is bubbly and top is golden brown, 30 minutes for the 9-inch casserole or 20 minutes for the four individual dishes.

**you can bake the mac n' cheese in four (4) small, individual dishes
**************************TASTE NOTES
I am going to be completely honest and say that this mac n' cheese, while delicious and satisfying, is much drier than my regular version. Of course, my butt will stay in the same zip code if I eat this version instead of my usual Martha Stewart version. That said, we enjoyed it immensely and I still lost weight on weigh in day--how can you beat that?

Friday, May 18, 2012

Who doesn't love the crunch of southern fried chicken, but there's the fat in the skin and the fat that it's fried in just waiting to creep around your middle. Don't worry, you can have your crispy chicken and lose weight/stay healthy by using your oven to produce delicious, moist chicken with a satisfying crunch. The original recipe called for bone-in, skinless chicken breasts, but I substituted bone-in, skinless chicken thighs. I much prefer bone-in chicken as it retains the juices far better.

Combine buttermilk, salt, and pepper in large zip-lock bag and add chicken. Squeeze air out of the bag and seal. Turn to coat chicken and refrigerate 20 minutes to 3 hours, turning occasionally.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheet with foil sprayed with nonstick spray.

Mix together bread crumbs and cheese. Remove chicken from buttermilk mixture and discard mixture. Coat chicken, one piece at a time, in panko mix. Place chicken pieces on prepared baking sheet and bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven and lightly spray chicken with nonstick spray. Return to oven and bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes longer.
**********************************TASTE NOTES
The recipe above is adapted from WW Best Darn Food Ever cookbook. The first time I used the exact recipe, but we didn't enjoy the spice mixture. The second time, I revised it and it turned out perfect: moist inside, crispy outside, and very flavorful. Leftovers--if there are any--are delicious cold or at room temperature. With corn and potato salad, this is a picnic. With mashed potatoes and greens, it's a southern-style meal that will have you singing Dixie.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

I love tomato basil soup and have made a few versions, all of which I've enjoyed. The difference with this version is that it is creamy and I used only fresh tomatoes. With some cheese quesadillas, it made a great light dinner.

Puree in batches (or use immersion blender). Return to saucepan. Whisk together milk and tomato paste in medium bowl; add to soup. Stir in basil. Cook over medium heat just until heated through, about 3 minutes (do not boil).
**********************TASTE NOTES
This was my favorite tomato basil soup so far and I'm sure it's because there were no tomato skins in it. A serving is a generous 1 1/4 cups and leftovers heat up easily--just remember not to let the soup come to a boil or the milk will curdle. You'll never want canned tomato soup again!

Friday, May 11, 2012

It just isn't Christmas without snickerdoodles, those wonderfully fragrant cinnamon-laced cookies that I grew up with. So when I saw a recipe for Snickerdoodle loaves over at Cathy's Wives with Knives, I knew what I was baking for my next quilt guild meeting. Be sure to check out this wonderful blog which always has something delicious to try.

Snickerdoodle Bread

Author: Barbara Bakes

Ingredients

2-1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla (I used the seeds from 1 vanilla bean instead)

1 cup sour cream

1-1/2 cups cinnamon chips

2 tablespoons flour

TOPPING:

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cinnamon

Instructions

Combine 2-1/2 cups flour and baking powder in a bowl. In a separate bowl, cream butter and 2 cups sugar, salt and cinnamon until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and sour cream and mix to combined. Add flour mixture, stirring until just combines. Coast the cinnamon chips with2 tablespoons flour and stir into the batter.

Spoon batter into 4 or 5 floured and greased mini loaf pans (5-3/4 x 3-1/4 x 2-1/4 inches) or 2 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Don’t fill more than 2/3 full. Combine 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon and sprinkle over the top of batter in the pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into a crack in the center of the loaf pan comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes before removing from the pan.

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TASTE NOTES

I could tell while the loaves were still in the oven that this was going to be a very special treat. The fragrance of cinnamon and sugar perfumed the whole house. One bite of this wonderful "bread" and I was hooked. Tasting more like a rich coffeecake, I knew from the first bite that this was a keeper. I'll definitely be making this one again.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Am I the only one who hates the new Blogger interface? I used to love going onto the dashboard to catch up on all my favorite blogs. Creating or editing posts was a snap. Since I was forced to switch over to this new interface, I find myself spending far less time on Blogger. Am I a relic? Is it my imagination that the old interface was so much more user friendly?

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

It's hard to believe that I wasn't a big fan of "macaroni" when I was growing up. What I wouldn't give to be able to eat pasta more frequently now! Lately I've been making it on Sundays, looking for new and more healthy ways to prepare it. Since Larry is a big spaghetti and meatball fan, I decided to try this take on the classic Italian-American favorite. We were both glad that I did.

Bring marinara sauce and water to a simmer in a large skillet. Add meatballs, cover, and simmer, stirring gently a few times, until meatballs are cooked through, 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile cook pasta according to package directions, adding escarole during the last 1 minute of cooking. Drain.

Divide pasta mixture among 4 bowls; top evenly with meatballs and sauce; sprinkle evenly with remaining cheese.
(N.I.: 415 cal; 6 g fat; 61 g carb; 11 g fiber; 30 g prot; 10 points plus)
***********************************TASTE NOTES
When I first noted that the escarole was added to the pasta, I was skeptical. I adore 'scarole, but generally eat it sauteed with garlic and olive oil. I decided to give it a try and was pleasantly surprised that I loved the escarole with the marinara sauce. For such a simple recipe, this was very flavorful. In fact, I intend to make the meatballs again to use in sandwiches. They are very soft, but hold their shape well. Another filling, healthy dinner that you can feel good about serving.

Friday, May 4, 2012

This recipe has been all over Pinterest and with good reason. It's so easy and it is cheesy and delicious. The bacon may seem like overkill to those who don't worship at that shrine (I can't envision a food that can't be made better with bacon). I did find, however, that the cooking time was way off and I believe the dish can be made simpler still by using a mandolin to slice the potatoes very thinly and omitting the parboiling, which I intend to do next time. Therefore, I'm editing the instructions to reflect this. Otherwise, you want to try this dish very soon.

Arrange half of potato slices in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour half of cheese sauce over potato slices. Top with remaining potato slices and cheese sauce; sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

TASTE NOTES
I liked this take on potatoes au gratin. They were lacking none of the creaminess and cheesiness, but they weren't over-the-top in terms of calories and fat. This is definitely a keeper recipe when you want something special to go with a ham or a roast.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

I confess that when I first heard about these cheese fries, all I could picture was a nasty plate of fried potatoes covered in Velveta-like orange cheese. I have never been a fan of cheese or gravy on my fries. The fact that I eat very few fries in the first place made me just dismiss this recipe. Then I read a few "reviews" on the Weight Watcher message boards and decided to check out the recipe. I do make oven-baked sweet potato fries or Italian-seasoned fries on occasion, so I decided to give these a try.

Preheat the oven to 400°. Line baking sheet with foil for easy clean-up. Lightly coat with cooking spray.

Cut each potato lengthwise into 1/4 inch thin slices; then cut each slice into 1/4 inch fries.In a large bowl, combine cut potatoes and oil; toss well. Add seasoning (paprika to salt and pepper). Toss to coat. Spread in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes, turn over, and bake another 15-25 minutes. Remove from oven, place fries into two small oven safe dishes (or one large dish for sharing), top with cheese, scallions and bacon bits and return to oven for about 2 minutes, or until the cheese melts.****************************************************************TASTE NOTES

While I normally don't "spend" 7 points on a side dish, by carefully planning what I eat with them, I am able to minimize the damage somewhat (e.g. a turkey burger without the bun, steamed seafood). These "fries" are very tasty and the portion size will leave you feeling satisfied, but not stuffed. There is not a lot of cheese on these, so maybe next time I will use regular cheese (since that's what the points are calculated on).I've already made these twice, so I am really recommending them. In the future, I would serve these as an appetizer at a BBQ, the taste is that good. So go ahead and indulge!